Babcock Lectures: Poe in Richmond in 1836

Babcock Lectures: Poe in Richmond in 1836

Babcock Lectures: Poe in Richmond in 1836 March 26 – Babcock Lecture begins at  5:00 p.m. in the Celebration Room, at the Shineman Chapel House, Hartwick College.

Poe in Richmond in 1836

Richard Kopley, author of Edgar Allan Poe: A Life, will present extracts from the book focusing on new stories about Poe from never-before-published letters by the stepdaughter of Poe’s best friend. These stories recover the private Poe, sometimes elated, sometimes despairing. Understanding more fully the man may help us understand more fully his work.

Richard Kopley, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at Penn State DuBois

At 5 p.m., Richard Kopley, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at Penn State DuBois, will discuss discoveries featured in his book “Edgar Allan Poe: A Life” (2025), widely regarded as the definitive biography of Poe. Published by the University of Virginia Press, the book has received starred reviews from “Publishers Weekly” and “Kirkus Reviews” and was nominated in January 2026 for a Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award in nonfiction.

A leading scholar of 19th-century American Romantic literature, Kopley is a prolific author and editor, a former president of both the Poe Studies Association and the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society, and a recipient of the Poe Studies Association’s Lifetime Achievement and Service Award. He has lectured extensively in the United States and abroad.

For more information, please contact Professor of English and Babcock Professor of English Susan Navarette at navarettes@hartwick.edu or 607- 431-4643.

Livestream link will be available.